Clip or clamp for holding sheets of music



(No Model.)

J. HOOD. CLIP 0R CLAMP FOR HOLDING SHEETS OF MUSIC.

No. 541,611. Patented June 25, 1895.

unm" wasmucmu n UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

JOHN HOOD, OE MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE CLIP OR CLAMP FOR HOLDING SHEETS OF MUSIC.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,611, dated June 25, 18 95.

Application filed Novemberli, 1894. sefial No. 528,711. (No model.)

To all whom it. may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN HOOD, of Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clips or Clamps for Holding Sheets or Leaves of Music; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Myinvention is intended for use more particularly by musicians, to hold the leaves or sheets of music together while marching, or in open air concerts. As will be readily understood, such a holder or clip should have certain requisites, namely, lightness, so as not to add materially to the weight of the musical instrument to which it and the music may be attached; much power in its grip or hold on the music sheets, that the musicians view of the notes may not be disturbed, or the leaves be flapping in the wind; smallness in size combined with durability and a powerful grip; and the structure should. be such as not to obscure or prevent the ready reading of the notes, even though it may in some cases extend a little over the printed part of the sheet. It is also very desirable that when not in actual use, it may easily be carried in any ordinary pocket of the musicians vest or clothing without damaging it, or be put away in any waste space in the case of the instrument. To effect these and other useful ends,

' is the object of my invention,which consists in a special construction, now to be described,

and which may be made of a single piece of fine wire and have any desired strength of gripping force.

In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view somewhat enlarged of a music clip or clamp embodying my invention; Fig. 2, an elevation to show more clearly the other side of the clip, and Fig. 3 a plan view and a piece of music held by it.

The wire,'as will be seen, is so bent as to have for its base, two parallel portions a, a,

connected at their front part bythe portion b,

these portions being all intended when applied to the sheets or leaves-of the music, to

edge by a powerful coil or coils dot the same wire. This tongue has a single hinge coil e. through which is passed a horizontal, elevated, transverse portion f. connecting and bent from the two uprights or standards g,g, each of which is wound around one of the parallel portions a, a, one of them terminating there as shown at h; and the other extending beyond its coil shown at 2, and spreading inward laterally as seen at 70. This portion k. as also the portion a. being bent down as seen at Z., thus forming one of two similar downwardly projecting loop-like handles under which the fore-finger of the musician may be placed in order to operate the clip, his thumb in such case pressing downward upon the movable and spring-actuated thumb-piece m. presently to be described, in order to lift the tongue 0. against the force of the spring coils hereinafter mentioned.

The thumb-piece m is a continuation from the hinge coil'e and at the rear of the horizontal transverse part or bridge f.,'around which it is coiled as many times as may be needed,'as shown at n. to insure the required spring-power for the gripping action of the tongue 0. toward the portion or part b. The wire after being thus coiled, continues on from the bridgef. and forms the upright g", and at the lower end of such upright it is coiled around the portion a., and thence is carried backward and formed into another downward bent loop-like handle is. Z. before mentioned, the horizontal portion a being a forward continuation of this portion of the wire. One

end of the wire is at the tip of the tongue 0., v

and is preferably bent back upon itself to avoid any harsh or rough extremity; and the other end of the wire is at h. where it will be seen it is fastened by a single winding around the part (0., the end being there turned inward to avoid any liability of catching in anything.

It will be evident. that this clip may be used for holding the leaves of books, or a lot of other loose sheets, cards, &c., as well as for music leaves. WVhile I prefer to make it as -ICC shown, of a single wire, yet without otherwise altering its peculiarities of construction, it may be made of two pieces of wire joined together at any desired point, as for instance, 5 at the portion b.

I clain1- 1. A wire music clip having the following characteristics, namely; the bed or base part, having the parallel portions, the front por- 10 tion, and the inwardly projecting and downwardly bent loops at the rear, the two uprights or standards and their horizontal transverse portion, the single-wire spring-operated tongue and its loop thumb-piece, and its series of coils around such transverse portion, I5

all substantially as set forth.

2. The wire clip described, made of a single piece of wire, bent as set forth to form a base, and also to form a single terminal tongue to grip the upper surface of the paper, an upright bridge supporting the tongue and its handle and the coils which force down the tongue, and also to form the thumb-piece and two finger pieces for operating the clip.

, J Ol-lN HOOD.

\Vitnesses:

J. G. HANDWERKER, OTTO BRUCH. 

